Easy Thin Crust Pizza.
THIS pizza.
This pizza is everything.
I don’t even know where to start because everything PIZZA.
And not just any pizza. Thin crust pizza! Thin and crispy crust pizza. Thin and crusty pizza?
Okay I’ll stop.
For a looooong time, you guys have been asking how I can make my other pizza crust, which is fairly thick and fluffy, into thin crust. And well, the answer is… you can’t. Not really. I don’t think you can. I’ve tried and while a few times it’s come close, it’s just destined to be a fat, fluffy crust and isn’t thin. Not thin like this. It can’t go on a diet.
I don’t discriminate when it comes to my pizza crusts, but I’m often very particular in what sort of crust I want and when I want it. I mean, sometimes I’m in a fat and fluffy mood. Sometimes I want to order Pizza Hut’s stuffed crust pizza because I feel like regretting all my life choices for three days after.
Other times, I crave the thin and crispy-ish crust. Not cracker thin, not like a flatbread thin, but just… thinner crust, crunchy, crispy, and dare I say it – light?
Can I call this pizza light?
Probably not, but I try to get away with other justifications so I’m just going to let it ride.
Clearly, this is that crust. The thin one, the light one, the one that I’m almost ready to dress up in spinach and call a health food.
Sorry?
Um, another thing. Another great thing. The best thing, perhaps.
This dough? It doesn’t need to rise. No rising. No rise-ation. (It just sounded right.)
I’ve tried it both ways. I think the no-rise tastes just as wonderful as the slightly risen version. I don’t detect any extra depth of flavor in the risen version, but you’re also talking to the person who was dipping two mini chocolate carrots leftover from easter into the peanut butter jar last night. I don’t exactly have what one would call a… sophisticated palette.
And! There’s another thing. Yes, one more thing.
You can totally grill this thin crust. Throw it right there on the grill. That’s one thing I was super hesitant about, becuase we often grill my thicker crust in the summer. Which always turns out great. But the thin crust? Eeeek. Wasn’t so sure.
So. I made four pizzas for the grill on Saturday night (margherita, pepperoni + red pepper, pepperoni + provolone and BBQ chicken if you’re dying to know) for my family to split and the crusts all came out fantastic. The directions below are written for a pizza stone, but know that you can use a grill too. You just need a heavily floured pizza peel, a hot hot grill and all of your toppings measured out and prepped before beginning. It’s heavenly.
We’re totally doing it again this weekend.
The toppings here aren’t the meat of this post (oh hardy har har), but after revisiting the photos while writing, I realize that I would love to do a complete face dive into the center of this pizza and never return.
I guess it’s worth noting: I used some crushed tomatoes that I slightly drained and whipped up in the food processor as my sauce. I topped that with a little crushed garlic (meaning, I pushed three cloves through my garlic press) and then I sliced a ball of fresh mozzarella. Once it was finished, I covered it with a handful of (or, um, I won’t lie – some very strategically-for-photos placed) fresh basil leaves. And then a sprinkle of some finely grated parmagiano-reggiano.
And then I died. I may never eat another kind of pizza again.*
Thin Crust Pizza
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
my toppings:
- crushed tomatoes, pureed
- fresh mozzarella
- crushed garlic cloves
- fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Place a pizza stone inside you oven on the middle rack. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. You most definitely need a pizza peel for this – or at least something to easily transfer your dough to your stone.
- In a large bowl, mix together the water, yeast and honey. Let that sit and get foamy, about 10ish minutes. During that time, I like to get out all of my pizza ingredients and measure them out – because this dough doesn’t have to rise! For the above pizza, I used pureed crushed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, a little crushed garlic and fresh basil leaves. You want everything measured out and ready to top so you can quickly transfer the dough to the stone.
- After 10 minutes, stir the flour and salt into the yeast mixture. Stir until the dough comes together, first using a spoon and then using your hands. If the dough is REALLY sticky, use a little more flour until it becomes silky, adding 1 tablespoon of flour as needed. Flour your workspace and knead the dough a few times with your hands. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Roll the dough out as thin as you possible can – at least 10 inches. If the dough keeps springing back, let it rest another 5 or 10 minutes. Flour your pizza peel VERY well. To transfer the thin dough to your peel, I gently and quickly fold the dough in half and then in half again, pick it up, and unfold it on the floured peel. Quickly add your toppings – your sauce and cheese and what not. Remember, with this thin crust it is best to not do tons of heavy toppings. Work quickly so the dough do not stick to the peel.
- Open the oven and gently slice the pizza from the peel to the stone – I use a spatula to help if needed. Bake the pizza for 10 to 15 minutes – just keep and eye on it since the oven is so hot and stones can differ. It will be done when the crust is crispy and cheese is golden.
- Remove the pizza by sliding it back onto the pizza peel with the help of a spatula. Let the pizza cool for a few minutes before slicing.
- Note: if you want to use a baking sheet, I’d preheat the oven to about 450 degrees F and cook it slightly longer.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
*huge, huge dramatic lie.
168 Comments on “Easy Thin Crust Pizza.”
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So crispy, easy and flavorable (yummy)! My new thin crust fave!
I have been making pizza for years now, and if I may say so, a very good one (people do rave about it). Yet, my almost 7 year old son (who is a picky eater, but that is a different story…) at most would eat the crust. He did discover, a while back, a local pizza chain (we live in Tel Aviv) that makes a paper-thin crusty pizza and he loves it. While searching for an appropriate crusty thin pizza recipe, I came across yours. Tonight was pizza night and it was a hit!!! loved it, and most important, my son loves it as well. It’s certainly a keeper!
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Hi! If i’m using instant yeast do i just directly add it to the dry ingredients? Or should i still let it foam up in the lukewarm water?
Tried this last night – it was easy & a hit! Thank you. I doubled the recipe, and rolled out the dough & used a rolling pin to stretch it out to a imperfect round pizza. Next time I might tweek the salt by adding a bit more as well as a bit more honey & maybe a touch of olive oil next time. But this was easy. The family loved it, I believe this will be a new staple for us. Thank you.
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Can you tell me why my crust turned out just a smidgen tough? Maybe I kneaded it too much. I did knead it more than what you said.
Mine did the same? Thought it was the yeast so I re did it 2018 PAC still turned out like ..not good
I have made this twice and it was not nearly enough water. I used a little more than 2/3 cup of warm water. If the dough is dry, it will be tough. It should be somewhat soft and easy to shape. This is one of the best homemade crust recipes I have found.
This looks amazing!! I make pizza all the time and I have a great tip – roll the dough out on parchment paper – it slides right off the pizza peel – SOOOO Easy – I do 450 degrees – the 500 might be too hot for the parchment paper. It also comes out perfect.
Really hot! Mine almost burned on the edges and the center wasn’t enough cooked. :( Otherwise it would have been great
We LOVE this pizza and make it weekly! But the crust never gets crispy enough for me. I’m using a pizza stone in a 500 degree oven, but the cheese is always done long before the crust is crispy like your photos. Any advice for me?
Even with a slightly less crispy crust, this is the best pizza I’ve ever made….
I found a neat trick to make sure your pizza doesn’t stick to the pizza peel. I put a piece of parchment paper on the peel (I actually use a cookie sheet). I can then assemble the pizza completely, with as many ingredients as I want. I then just slide the parchment paper onto the pizza stone, and bake it that way. Once it’s done, just slide the pizza peel under the parchment, and then transfer it to a cooling rack. If you wait a few minutes you can remove the parchment. Once it’s cooled a bit, it can be transferred from the cooling rack to a cutting board for slicing.
with what I can replace the honey?
Thanks..
any sort of sweetener, such as maple syrup, sugar, etc!
Thanks so much for this recipe, it is outstanding! Like some of the people before me, I used parchment paper on the oven tray, and had no problem transferring the crust and topping to the oven, ditto taking it out. I didn’t use a rolling pin to spread out the dough, just my fingers. I used the maximum temperature on my oven, which is 250 degrees C (480 degrees F). Actually, something came up right when I’d mixed the dough and I had to go out, so I oiled the ball of dough and left it covered in a glass bowl. By the time I returned home (1/2 hr.) it had risen, so I punched it, left it in a ball, and let it rise a second time (it came up quickly). Until I make the recipe again, I won’t know if this helped or detracted, I can only say it was delicious and I will definitely be using this recipe in the future.
Hi I am making this tonight and the 1/2 a cup of water was NOT enough. The dough would not come together… is that really what it is supposed to be, only 1/2 cup of water to 1.5 cups of flour?
I agree with Avril — I made this last night and didn’t like it at all — it had a rubbery texture and very bland flavor. And I found the dough to be a little difficult to work.
hi i am going to try this recipe seems legit. I have a doubt though, what the purpose of honey in the recipe?
thanks!
It feeds the yeast. Sugar could be used instead.
found this recipe when searching for an easy thin crust pizza – I am in heaven! Even my hubby and daughters who prefer thick crust LOVED this! Thank you!
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My children’s are picky and adventurous eaters. Constantly asking for me to make new things and then refusing to eat it.
The entire recipe was spot on! This must be at least the 10th pizza crust I have tried, and it was perfect. My son (4) ate it!
Only needed about a tablespoon and a half more flour to pull it all together
Thank you so much!
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I spotted this recipe a while back (at least 6 months back) but had been really busy/lazy to do it. We made them over the weekend and they were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Really fast, simple with great taste and texture. They were SO SO good!!! We loved them so much that we even made them again the next day!!!! Thanks for this awesome recipe.
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I love pizza and I have a few great recipes tha I usually make, but they require more time. Today I needed something tasty and not time consuming. Well,this was it! Easy,tasty and delicious ! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
The most delicious pizza vase I’ve made! So easy and practical when you don’t have time for the dough to rise or rest. May I copy your title with your blog name to face book?
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My husband and I doubled your pizza dough recipe and planned on making 2 x 12″ pizzas. But, when we rolled the first one out to our desired thickness, it ended up being the size of the pizza stone, so we decided to split one. We froze the other half for next time! I brushed our crust with melted butter and seasonings before topping it with the following: our fav marinara, fresh mozzarella, pepperoni, and sliced jalapeños. My husband added Canadian bacon, Italian sausage and onions to his half. We baked it on our pizza stone for 10 minutes at 500, and it was amazing! We kept the toppings very light, which was great and helped the crust really crisp up nicely. This is our new homemade pizza dough recipe! Thanks! Oh yeah, we both had half of our half leftover! Leftovers!
Jessica, We doubled this recipe tonight. Made one margarita and one pepperoni/ olive. I added garlic powder to the dough, and it was outstanding! Love how quick this recipe came together. Another delicious recipe <3 Thank you!
:) kim
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I doubled the recipe as well and used 2 c GM White Whole Wheat flour + 1 c white flour to make 2 12-inch pizzas. I may have made a mistake with my liquid measurements because the dough was super dry. Not sticky at all. All in all the pizzas turned out ok but the crusts were not what I had hoped. I’ve made homemade crust recipes for years so I have experience. So I’m gonna do this recipe again with all white flour and not double it to see if it turns out amazing!
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Wonderful crust! I parbaked for a few minutes before topping and got some bubbles that I simply poked to deflate. Topped and baked and crust stayed delightfully thin and the edges crisped up just like a cracker. I love this recipe! The dough was very easy to work with too. Thank you so much for sharing it.
Tried the crust last night. First 3 attempts at getting yeast to rise all fails. I use yeast often so have no idea what was wrong. Finally used a full packet of active yeast and bloomed immediately. Proceeded to make pizza with success. We really liked and will use again this week when friends are over.
Pretty good crust but it did turn out a little chewy, I was looking for a crispier crust. Any suggestions?
I’ve made this twice this week! I made a thin version which I loved but found it dangerous because I’d keep eating it without feeling full! When i roll it slightly thicker Inget an almost crispy pan crust like pizza! I’ve double and quadrupled the recipe- love it! My family loves this because ithey won’t have to wait 4-6 hours for dough to rise 😂
Very easy, very tasty! My husband devoured it!
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This was an excellent alternative to the usual thicker crust pizza dough i usually make… my husband is a fan of thin crust, so he instantly liked if, and my 16 month old devoured her slice… my 3 yr old on the other hand… well, she’s 3, nuff said. I should’ve, however, followed my baker’s instinct in holding back on some flour, but I didnt, and had to try again since the dough was virtually un-kneadable. Anyhow, delicious, quick, easy and will be using it again. Thanks!
So I just made this – like some people before me, there was really not enough water for me in this – the dough was shards and wouldn’t come together at all with 1/2 cup water and 1 1/2 cups flour. Next time I would definitely start with 3/4 cup and then add the other 3/4 cup slowly. I added a fair amount more water and a little oil and it was still pretty tough and difficult to work with. I managed to roll it out, and it’s ok but not great cooked.
I’ve tried quite a few dough recipes over the last few years while making pizza at home for my fam and I have to say this is definitely my new official go to!! Making this for a second time in three days and casually putting my daughter to bed first so I don’t have to share. 😭 Thank you for sharing this gem!
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